Rock faces closed for falcon protection
A peregrine falcon soars through the sky. USFS photo
Twelve rock faces in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are closed to climbing, rappelling, hang-gliding and other activities through Aug. 15 in order to protect the rare peregrine falcons that nest there.
Closed rock faces are:
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Nantahala District — Whiteside Mountain and Pickens Nose (east face)
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Pisgah District — Victory Wall, Looking Glass Rock (north face) and North Cedar Rock
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Appalachian District — Whiterock Cliff and Buzzard’s Roost
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Grandfather District — Shortoff Mountain South, Shortoff Mountain North, Bynum Bluff, N.C. Wall from Tightrope to Bumblebee Buttress, Apricot Buttress, the Camel and Big Lost Cove Cliffs
Wildlife biologists in North Carolina have been working since the 1980s to help peregrine populations recover after they dwindled to just one mating pair in North Carolina in the 1950s. In 2022 across Western North Carolina, 14 sites were occupied by peregrine falcon pairs and seven successfully reproduced with a total of 15 offspring. Two additional sites were occupied by a single, unpaired bird.
Nesting success is perhaps the greatest challenge to species recovery. If a nesting pair is disturbed, they will leave the site and may not nest again until the following year. Disturbance can also prompt young chicks that have not yet learned to fly to run off the edge of the cliff to escape.
